Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly, who edged out New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) for a top Democratic post in December before stepping down, died from esophageal cancer on Wednesday, becoming the third Democrat to die in office this term.

The late congressman made headlines in December when, with support from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he defeated AOC to lead the House Oversight Committee, despite reportedly violating stock trading laws, according to Raw Story. AOC would have been the youngest Democrat to chair a House committee at 35 years old.

  • IninewCrow
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    1582 months ago

    Hilarious … the only way to beat the old Democratic party is to wait for them to die

      • IninewCrow
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        202 months ago

        This is sounding more and more like a Lord of the Rings sequel every time

        • Eugene V. Debs' Ghost
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          32 months ago

          The gift humans had in LOTR is shorter lives, so new ideas can flourish, grow, and change between generations.

          Makes you really want that gift in 2025.

      • @gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
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        222 months ago

        Yeah, age isn’t so much the issue when we have decent older people like Bernie Sanders and younger douchebags like Josh Gottheimer running around, the problem is that newly elected Democratic party members have all been told that they need to vote for the people who have been in DC the longest and one day eventually it will be their turn

        That would be bad enough on its own, but coupled with the destruction of any kind of campaign finance regulations making it a lot easier for moderate Democratic party members to secretly work work with rich donors and Republicans to make sure progressives don’t stay in DC for long, we’ve ended up with a senior group of Democratic lawmakers who have shitty policies their voters hate and only know how to solve their problems through hippie punching

      • No, just most of them, including almost all of the ones with the most power.

        Name two people under 70 who’s amongst the 10 highest ranking in the party leadership.

        I’ll even give you Hakeem Jeffries for free so you only have to find one.

    • Bakkoda
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      -642 months ago

      Are the good policy choices here in the room with us?

      /s

      • Eugene V. Debs' Ghost
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        312 months ago

        They would be if the DNC didn’t stranglehold the idea of “let’s use taxes for good things instead of war”.

      • @Pollo_Jack@lemmy.world
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        112 months ago

        Even conservative think tanks agree, universal healthcare AT WORST would cover every American and cost the same as we are currently paying.

        So, we pay the same to not cover every American or we pay the same to cover every American. Which is the good policy choice?

    • @lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com
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      52 months ago

      I don’t know, guys. Hatshepsut has a proven track record of breaking political barriers for females, leading recovery from a foreign occupation into prosperity, and commanding prolific building projects including some masterpieces of ancient architecture: she delivers. What has AOC done? Dismissing all that accomplishment would be a mistake.

  • @ExtantHuman@lemm.ee
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    662 months ago

    So she’ll be replacing him, right?!

    Or did Democrats just shit themselves in the for again and that seat will now remain empty like they did with that cryptkeeper lady from California who wasn’t even different enough to go to Congress and do her job

    • BigFig
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      512 months ago

      They will just hand it to the guy he named in his place “temporarily” and refuse to have new committee elections

  • @Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee
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    552 months ago

    Stay classy, telling a reporter to “kill yourself” for factually reporting on Connolly publicly announcing his cancer diagnosis.

    Why does the party value fealty and seniority so implicitly? There’s a place for the ‘elder statesman’ voice to share institutional wisdom and tribal knowledge, but this man cannot seriously have had more vigor and energy to pour into leadership than someone under half his age…

  • @carlossurf@lemmy.ca
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    442 months ago

    Whats with these old fucks not stepping down and enjoying what little they have left of their lives. Same with biden

    • @rumba@lemmy.zip
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      82 months ago

      He was somewhat apprehensive about his first term; he just didn’t want Trump to get in.

      When he came back for round two, he seemed to have unfinished business tho

    • They’re literally unable to do anything else except remain in their protected little cocoons arguing with each other while people fawn over them and pay them for their favor.

      They’re like the minor peerage of old. All trying to hang on to their name and title to keep their ego afloat.

    • @leadore@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It’s the addiction of power. Once someone has acquired it, they can’t give it up. Only exceptional people have the strength to resist and step down. Take Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had been teetering on the line between this world and the next for years, if she had retired while Obama was president, the SCOTUS wouldn’t be so out of balance now. But she just couldn’t do it.

  • Eugene V. Debs' Ghost
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    412 months ago

    So we’ll have someone with fresh ideas on how to stop Trump now, right?

    Who will below retirement age, and support major refreshment of polices and politicians, right?

    And actually do something this time, instead of thinking out loud and acting like that is the same thing as doing something, right?

    …Right?

  • @BigMacHole@lemm.ee
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    282 months ago

    This is HORRIBLE! There’s only So Many OLD WHITE GUYS WITH CANCER we can Appoint to IMPORTANT ROLES before we have LITERALLY NO CHOICE but to Concede LITERALLY EVERY RACE to the Republicans!

  • @Gates9@sh.itjust.works
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    242 months ago

    The Democrats are like ancient kings who killed their children for fear of usurping their rule. Now the enemy is at the gates and they have no generals, the few champions they do have were cowed long ago.

    • @gradual@lemmings.world
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      112 months ago

      Almost.

      Establishment democrats are still living great lives under trump. They’re not enemies because trump doesn’t fuck with their money, unlike Bernie.

      It’s the working class that has to suffer.

  • @Pollo_Jack@lemmy.world
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    182 months ago

    When Alexander the Great died, his empire devolved into infighting and instability. Why would he plan for his successor at such a young age?

    These democrats dying in office, leaving no protege nor successor in the wings, are doing the same thing to America but they have no excuse.

    • @lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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      202 months ago

      These ancient centrist fucks are the reason we’re in this mess. We don’t want their proteges in power. We need new blood that will fight instead of trying to maintain the status quo.

      • @leadore@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        True, look at Pelosi’s choice to succeed her, Hakeem Jeffries. I thought he seemed good at first but he’s turned out to be just another hand-wringing wimp. So it’s not simply a matter of being too old, it’s a matter of clinging to the old ways.

        edit: IOW, getting younger people in is necessary but not sufficient.